Fell That Tree
by Mikadaphne28
Summary: (AU) If only the debt and the promise didn't hang over him, he wouldn't feel so burdened. All Skipper had to do was continue the legacy his father left in his hands, and he has been doing fine, according to Kowalski. "The only problem here," he looked at Marlene, "is that he thinks that he can't do this."
1. Chapter 1

_**Chocolate Bunny, guys! I got a chocolate bunny! Aka, imagination candy, or ya know, story idea. How about you guess where I got the inspiration from? ;)**_

* * *

><p><strong>Fell That Tree<strong>

* * *

><p>"You've been real good to us, old man." The cobalt eyes of a man locked on the similar ones behind the glass. "Hope you're fine up there. I know it's been a year since...since that day," his fingers curled over the rim of the hat he was holding to his chest, "but I, we, still can't forget you. For all you did. We really wish you the best, dad."<p>

"How's dad doing, Skippah?" The man placed his hat on his head and looked back at the baby blue eyed boy smiling behind him. Despite the fact that they were step brothers, the boy still respected the man who raised the two of them.

The two weren't close at first, despite having only each other to cling on, but he learned to take the boy into his own care. And that was all thanks to the man before him. The very same man who lived his life protecting the wildlife. Aka, the forest ranger. He passed the title of head to Skipper just weeks before a huge wildfire cost his life.

"Still watching over us, Private." Private turned his attention from the picture to his brother.

"Right now?"

Skipper grinned down at him and ruffled his hair, much to the other's displeasure. "Right now."

"Skippah!" He swatted the man's hand off and proceeded to 'right' his hair, which pretty much looked the same. Skipper chuckled at this and shook his head.

"Skipper?" Skipper didn't have to look back to know that the new voice belonged to Marlene, the volunteer camp counselor in the camp nearby. The same camp Private was currently going to.

"Good morning, Marlene." Private greeted to which he was returned with a curtsy from the female.

"Morning, Private." The two looked at each other, giggling the next second. "You ready, Skipper?" The brunette asked the man, who turned to her.

"Give me a sec. I'll be right out."

"Alright. I have to tell you though, the kids are going crazy! They just can't wait to meet the guy behind all this." She gestured around with a grin.

"Behind what exactly, Marlene?"

"Oh," she crossed her arms with a knowing smirk, "so we're being modest now, are we?"

"Why not?" He shrugged casually, though the grin was pulling at his mouth. "It's a new day." She rolled her eyes and turned to Private.

"Come on, Private. We'll wait for him outside." The boy nodded and walked outside. Marlene looked back at Skipper, then at the picture on the wall. A warm smile caressed her face as she remembered the man who introduced her about on her first day. She closed her eyes, the smile never leaving her face, and when she opened her eyes, she gave Skipper a nod. He nodded back in understanding and watched her close the door before turning back to the picture.

"I can never live up to you, but I hope you're still proud of me. I'm doing my best to keep this place intact. I really wish you were still here to guide me, but I'll keep doing my best. For the forest, the animals, Private, Marlene, Kowalski, Rico and the others. Oh Skipper." He shook his head with a chuckle. "You're just going to show a few kids about, not meet the superintendent." He chuckled again and stared at the picture. "Alright then. Happy anniversary, dad." He took out the fresh flowers that Marlene and Private picked from a hidden meadow they found months ago and stuck them into the frame. Skipper took one last look at the picture before following the two out.

"...and remember," Marlene was lecturing the group before her, "no wandering off, alright? We all need to stick to the group." She ended with a smile at the group when they replied with a chorus of 'yes, Marlene'. "Awesome." She clapped her hands and placed a hand on Skipper's shoulder. "Guys, this is Skipper McGrath." The man nodded to them, noticing Private standing near the back of the group with his new friend, Hunter. "He's the head ranger around here."

A man stopped directly behind Skipper, speaking to the shorter man in a low tone as his eyes scanned the crowd. "You sure you want to do this?" Kowalski, a fellow forest ranger and the resident scientist, was dressed in the same garb as Skipper, without the hat.

"Hey," Skipper whispered back to him as he watched Marlene introduce the two of them, "I'm just here to show them around. You can do whatever you want."

A glint flashed through the other's eyes as he rubbed his hands.

"This is going to be worth it, Skipper. Just watch them come to us, asking to be a part of this. The superintendent will _have_ to let us keep the place."

"Great. Just, don't bore them to death with your jibber jabber."

"I don't," Skipper raised a brow at him, "fine. I'll keep it _simple_."

"You'll do fine."

"I should be telling you that..."

"Alright," Skipper grinned at the younger generation and gestured forward once Marlene was done, "let's start. First off," he looked over at Kowalski, who stared back at him before speaking, in a not too excited voice.

"The stables. Where we keep the horses."

The ranger kept from slapping himself, or Kowalski, and kept on forward, though he heard someone talk.

"This is going to take a while..." A girl murmured to her friends, who murmured in agreement. Skipper held back a sigh and marched forward. He was NOT going to let a few kids get to him.

* * *

><p><em>They are impossible.<em> Skipper rubbed his face with a hand and glanced back at the group listening to Kowalski mumble about white moss, or as he called them, lichens just a few meters away. _What does it takes to impress them?_ "What does it takes to impress them?" He directed the question to Marlene, who looked away from her wards and to him.

"Skipper, I really don't think-"

He held up a hand impatiently. "What does it take to impress them, Marlene? That's all I need to know."

"Maybe you could start by keeping them away from Kowalski?"

"It's not my fault the man wants to blurt out useless information."

"How about you tell him to just talk about things they should know. Like, what not to eat, or what plant has poison."

"Why didn't I think of that?" He snarled quietly at the woman, who sighed and crossed her arms.

"He wasn't listening, was he?"

"This is Kowalski we're talking about here. He gets excited over the craziest of things. Just last week, he almost fainted when he saw a mushroom. A mushroom, Marlene, mushroom! And you know I can't bring Rico. He'll scare them. You know that."

"I know, Skipper."

He ran a hand through his hair, letting his hat fall back, hanging only by the string around his neck. "What am I going to do? This has been a failure so far."

"Well..."

"Don't believe me?" Before she could answer, Skipper whistled. The noise sounded more like a bird's call than the usual shrill sound. It served its purpose though, when Private sidled up to them, a hyper Hunter by his side.

"Skippah?"

"Am I boring? Is this whole thing boring?"

The boy's face turned red with embarrassment as he looked anywhere but his older brother. "Uh...you're not really-" Hunter rolled her eyes at him and turned to Skipper, bouncing on her toes.

"It's totally boring, Skipper." Private's eyes grew wide at the claim and he reached over to cover her mouth, but she held him back easily. "The kids are dying in boredom. For one, I seriously thought this was going to be really awesome, but it's lame."

Skipper had his eyes closed as he gave the younger female a sardonic smile. "Thank you, Hunter."

"You're welcome." The girl chirped and Skipper gestured to her, staring at Marlene. Marlene sighed and dropped her arms to her sides.

"How about you try a different approach?"

"How about I pretend we get lost, escape and leave them?"

"Skipper/Skippah!" Marlene hissed, smacking the man just as Private did the same. Skipper glared down at the younger boy, who cowered away and hid behind Hunter.

"Well? Do you have suggestions I could use? Because if not, I will-"

"How about you show them a cool landmark?" Hunter interrupted the man before he could finish his thought. "Like that geyser just further downstream?" Skipper narrowed his eyes at the girl, who remained unfazed, before turning to Private.

"How does she know about that? I _thought_ we agreed not to let anyone know. Especially since it was in the restricted areas."

Private pulled at the collar of his shirt, his eyes darting about. "Well, uh, I..."

"Oh come on, Skip." The girl chirped with a grin. "Geyser's are cool."

Skipper's expression softened and he turned back to Hunter. "You think they would like that?"

Hunter nodded. "I _know_, they would. You got nothing to lose, right? Aside from your pride and dignity, that is. And maybe your job, if you don't do something to keep it."

Aside from Kowalski's distant gibberish, there was complete silence in the area.

"Ohkay!" Private started tugging Hunter away, watching Skipper's deadpanned face. "I think we're going to go back now. See ya!" The two ran back just in time for Kowalski to conclude about the purpose of sap in the mahogany tree he was leaning against.

Marlene was just still shock, not sure what to do, though she knew she had to watch Skipper. Just as she was about to tell him that he could torture his brother later, a scream filled the forest. Both adults ran toward the source, where the group of kids surrounded the boy on the ground, holding his thigh as tears fell from his eyes.

"What happened?" Skipper asked Kowalski, who was looking at something in his hands while Marlene soothed the sniffling boy and checked his leg.

"Snake bite." The man murmured, eyebrows furrowed in worry as he handed a little black snake. "Here's our culprit." Skipper looked down at the creature as Marlene tapped Kowalski.

"It's not poisonous, is it?" She asked and the scientist shook his head.

"It's a Heterodon _platirhinos_, or Eastern hog-nosed snake. An innocuous colubrid species endemic to North America."

"English, Kowalski. I speak English."

"It's a deaf adder. A harmless snake." Marlene nodded and turned to the boy, who was still pale.

"You're going to be alright, sweetheart."

"This is a disaster..." Skipper murmured under his breath, sighed and got to his feet, the snake curled gently around his hand. "We should be heading back."

"With you?" A voice stopped him in his tracks. "You want us to follow _you_?"

He was about to answer, when another voice called out in the same accusing tone as the first. "You told us there weren't any snakes here!" This was followed by a chorus.

"How are we going to trust you, mister?"

"Yeah! Look what happened to Barry!"

"I'm calling my lawyer!"

"When my daddy hears about this, you'll be jobless!"

"You're a liar!"

"How dare you call yourself a ranger! A ranger's supposed to be taking care of everyone!"

"Yeah!"

"Guys." Marlene glared at the group, arms over her chest. "Don't disrespect the man. It's not his fault."

The boy who had gotten bit got up and glared at Skipper. "It totally is! I thought he was the ranger. What happened?"

"Barry."

"I could've died!"

"You're fine, Barry. It's just a harmless snake."

"But he's supposed to be responsible for us! What if it wasn't just that thing? What if a bear came running and took one of us to eat for dinner later?" A few girls squirmed and squealed. "What if a swarm of bees came and gave us hives? What if-"

"Barry Langston. That is enough." The boy closed his mouth and looked away. "We're heading back," she ushered them away, "now." Marlene paused and looked back at the expressionless and still man with a sad expression. "Sorry, Skipper." She looked at Kowalski, who turned his attention to the ground. The female sighed heavily and followed the complains of the children, tugging both Hunter and Private with her.

"Skipper..." Kowalski placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "I," Skipper shook him off and walked away. "This was supposed to be an opportunity. Our last chance to save the station..." The man played with his shirt before sighing and walking in the opposite direction, after Marlene and the children. "Wait a minute. Wait just a minute." He slapped the side of his head as he shook his head. "Newton's knickers, Kowalski! Yes. Yes!" He snapped his fingers, his face now filled with determination and glee. "That's it. That _has_ to be it! It's the only solution now. Science," he muttered under his breath, "don't fail me now." With that, he dashed back to the station.

* * *

><p><strong><em>*frowns at screen* What just happened? <em>****_Another two-shot? Ooh...I need to work on my ONE-shots...Oh well. *shrugs*_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Fell That Tree**

* * *

><p>The man stared ahead, not noticing the lush greenery, blooming flora or even the baby deer staring back at him from a distance before lowering its head to the ground for the grass. He sighed, for what was the hundredth time that day, and laid back on a flat patch of land, trying to relax his body and mind.<p>

"What have I done wrong exactly?" He closed his eyes, trying to block out the voices of the kids. "I've failed everyone." He opened his eyes and turned his head to the side. "Did you see the look on Private's face, Ryan?" The snake resting on a flat rock stared back at him, not moving. "I did. Complete disappointment. This is your fault, you know? You bit that kid." A black tongue slithered out of its mouth and he sighed. "You're right. It's my fault. It was my responsibility to take care of them, and I failed them. I failed Marlene. I failed Private. I failed my dad." He ran his hands over his face, as if trying to wipe away whatever was wrong. "I know you don't even like the name I gave you." The tongue darted out again and Skipper gestured to the bored looking snake. "See? You totally understand what I'm saying, right? I am a complete disappointment." He sighed, dropped his hands down, looked at the snake, then back to the sky before sighing again. "And I am talking to a snake. Great..."

He stayed like that for a minute then got up. "Let's get you comfortable while I await my doom." He picked the snake up as it raised its head and turned it to the side. "We'll make sure you go to a nice place, along with the other animals. I think Kowalski mentioned something about a reserve in Georgia."

A snap echoed followed by a loud cry and something thrashing about. The man paused and turned back to see the fawn who had been staring at him earlier on, snorting about. It was trying to get away, but for some reason it was stuck on the spot.

Skipper ran up to the deer, set the snake on another rock and cautiously approached the bucking creature. It turned its frightened eyes to him when his boot broke a dry twig and it moved back, only to stop just a few meters when the chain reached its limit from the stake in the ground.

The chain was connected to an evil looking bear trap. The teeth of which were clamped tight around the poor fawn's front left hoof.

"Hey, hey," Skipper spoke soothingly to the creature as it continued to buck, "you're going to be fine, sweetie." It shook its head and tried to back away from him and the trap, but he moved forward and grabbed it. He held it still, to keep it from hurting its foot further. "You're going to be fine." He ran a hand over its head, rubbing it gently before dropping his hand on the metal. "I'm just going to take this off, okay?" The deer wasn't bucking so much now, but it still trotted about, scared of the contraption holding its foot down. Skipper reached one hand to the other side of the deer, trapping it to him as he used both hands to pry the trap open.

"Come on." He grunted as he held it open, nudging the deer with his head. "Go." The fawn gingerly lifted its leg and Skipper took the chance to grab the animal and roll away, letting the trap snap back menacingly.

He stared at the trap before turning to the fawn. He watched as the fawn placed its injured foot down and buckled to the ground with a cry. He picked it up, gently tucking its legs and inspecting the injured hoof. The fawn cried out in pain when he pressed it lightly and dug its snout into his chest.

"I don't have anything with me right now...I sent Rico to the North to check for fires. I'll have to bring you back with me." He got to his feet slowly, discreetly placing the snake in a pocket and walking over to the trap. He nudged it with his foot and frowned down at it. "I just don't get what a bear trap is doing here."

* * *

><p>Skipper was currently feeding the little doe with a bottle of milk, looking out from the porch of the station. He had already placed the snake in a glass enclosure and braced the call from the superintendent. As expected, he was fired and the big man would be coming over with his replacement. Which was quick, but the superintendent had been waiting for him to mess up.<p>

Though, that wasn't what was worrying the ex-ranger at the moment. He was more worried about his friend, Kowalski. Usually, and he knew this from experience, the scientist would be in his room going over notes, writing new ones or observing a specimen he got from the forest, but he was not there. In fact, he was nowhere in or near the station. Which was very unusual for a man who hardly went out except when necessary, or when Skipper had to drag him out.

The thought brought a smile to his face as he remembered those times. He remembered when he moved here for the first time to live with his father after his mother passed away. Or when he had to apologize to five-year-old Private for 'accidentally' pushing him into a pond, making the younger boy cry. And the time when his dear father decided to add Rico and Kowalski, complete polar opposites, to the group and he made his first real friends, aside his city friends, Manfredi and Johnson. He also couldn't forget the time when a shy and sweet Marlene joined the crew on her first day here, only for them to find out that she was just as stubborn and determined as Skipper was.

All these memories just reminded him of the fact that he had to leave. Because he was no longer needed here.

The suckling noise had stopped some time back and Skipper looked down at the fawn sleeping in his arms. He walked back inside, placed the fawn on an dog bed and the bottle on a table and walked back out, leaning on the railing. Just enjoying his last few peaceful moments here...little did he know about the brewing trouble coming his way.

* * *

><p>Marlene placed the comb down on the table and looked at her reflection as she tied her hair into a ponytail. She checked for any stray or flyaway strands and was about to pin them down when her eyes caught the scrapbook sitting on the table next to her bed. She pinned the strays and made her way over to the bed, taking the scrapbook with her as she sat on the bed.<p>

On one page, Rico, the scarred man she had learned to trust and accept because of Private, had the boy in a fake headlock on the ground, the two of them laughing as Kowalski shook his head at them, a smile pulling at his lips. The next had the two 'boys' grinning at each other as Kowalski walked away. It was followed by one where a complete surprised Kowalski was on the ground below Rico and Private was getting ready to jump on the two.

Marlene smiled at it and turned to another page.

This one had the brothers, Skipper and Private, near a stream, the two of them holding up a bunch of fish each as they grinned at the camera. In another, Kowalski was completely drenched and sitting in the stream while Rico and Private laughed at him. Skipper was in the background, arms crossed over his figure as he smirked.

She grinned and immediately turned the book over, skipping the blank pages at the back until she reached the last entry in the scrapbook.

It was a bunch of shots including Skipper and herself, but they didn't know that Kowalski, Rico and Private were watching. Until they caught the three snickering over a camera and they were 'punished'. Marlene managed to convince Skipper not to burn the pictures, and she had full rights to do what she wanted with them. It probably didn't mean much to Skipper, but it meant a lot to her.

One shot had the two of them working in the camp kitchen. Skipper was stumped on what to do, even though he had volunteered to help her cook for the kids. The next had Skipper somehow bursting a bag of flour, which ended having flour all over his work area and himself, with Marlene covering her mouth in shock. It was followed by one of Skipper frowning as he wiped the flour off his face while Marlene giggled behind her hands.

She remembered that she was too busy leaning over the counter, unable to hold her laughter in, to notice that Skipper was reaching for something. He poured a bowl of jelly over her and she stood there shocked, until she picked up a bowl of eggs and threw it at him.

The picture at the bottom, was the final result of their little 'war'. Skipper had picked the laughing female up by her waist, a finger dipped in cream. He was grinning as he tried to make a mark on her face.

So far, the last one was her favorite.

With a sad smile, she picked up the picture, stashed the scrapbook in a drawer and stared at it.

"Oh Skipper..." She sighed and brought the picture closer to her chest with her eyes closed. "I'm so sorry. I wish today could've gone better..."

"Marlene!" She jumped in fright, clutching onto the picture tightly. "Marlene!" Marlene hid the picture under her pillow and stared at Kowalski as the man tumbled into the room, leaving the door banging against the wall. "Oh thank Einstein you're still here." He breathed out in huffs as Marlene helped him up.

"What's going on, Kowalski? Is something wrong?"

"No. Not, whoo, at all."

"Then...wait, where's Skipper?"

The man was still struggling to get his breathing under control. "That's, huh, what I was, huh, going to ask you." She glanced at the watch on her wrist.

"Well, he must be back by now. You should have waited for him."

"Yeah I could, but I had to tell someone."

"Tell what? And why me?"

"I'll tell you on the way." He grabbed her hand and started pulling her out. "For now," he looked back at her once they reached outside, "we have to convince Skipper not to give up."

"Give up?" Marlene dug in her heels, forcing Kowalski to stop. "Why would he do that?"

"Obviously," he spoke haughtily, glaring at the kids playing in the courtyard, oblivious to the two of them, "because of what happened."

"I don't think-"

"The pressure was too much for him, Marlene. Doesn't mean he won't break. Even if it was _just_ a couple of kids." His tone was laced with disgust, but it went away when he looked back at Marlene. "I think he's going to give up."

"But, he wouldn't just do that, would he? I mean, this is Skipper we're talking about. Skipper would never give up."

"You're right, Marlene. He can do a lot of things, and we both know that determination and perseverance is a specialty of his. The only problem here," he looked at Marlene, "is that he thinks that he can't do this. And if he can't, he will give up." Marlene looked over at a bunch of kids playing and shouting, Kowalski's words swimming in her mind.

"I didn't...I didn't notice. I always thought he had things under control."

"Well, he tries hard not to let his loved ones get worried." Marlene's cheeks turned red and she looked down, playing with her fingers. Kowalski smirked at this, but it was brief as he grabbed her hand again. "Another reason why I came to you and not Private. The boy's not going to be happy when he finds out. Come on." They were about to go into the forest when someone cleared his throat.

* * *

><p><em><strong>I know I said it was going to be a two-shot...but, uh, my imagination ran wild. ;)<strong>_

_**The third installment won't be up soon, though. I have a lot of papers to complete and exams to study for the next two weeks...sooooo, *Rico-ese* Aw...**_

_**Well, there's my good news and bad news...see ya! Have a lovely time!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Fell That Tree**

* * *

><p>"And where would you two be going?" Kowalski resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Marlene turned to face the Madagascan man standing behind them. "You still have work to do, Marlene." The man was none other than Julien Jacobs, owner of the camp they were currently in. He was a boisterous man with an affinity for shiny things and fun. It surprised the two that he was dressed in simple clothes, without his 'crown' and with a frown on his face.<p>

Marlene shook her head at this and concentrated on her current problem. "I'll be back soon, Julien. I, we, have to help Skipper."

"What's wrong with Skipper?" Another voice made them turn to the slightly chubby and shorter man beside Julien. The boy beside him was quiet but he watched the exchange with interest and big yellowish brown eyes.

"It's-"

"A long story, Maurice." Kowalski cut Marlene off crisply, narrowing his eyes at Julien. "And if you don't mind, I will be 'borrowing' one of your counselors for a task exclusive of anybody else but Marlene."

The man shook his head, arms crossed over his shirt. "No."

"Please, Julien." Marlene begged. "It's important."

"Well, so is your job, if you want to keep it."

Marlene swallowed, unable to answer right away. Would she really risk the job she loved for Skipper?_  
><em>

"Julien, please. Skipper needs my help. I need to help him." The man just stared at her coldly. "He helped us many times, Julien. It's time we returned the favor. Please, just," Kowalski scoffed beside her and rolled his eyes again.

"Why would that guy help Skipper? All he cares about is money and himself." Marlene slapped the man's arm with a glare.

"Kowalski." He ignored her and continued to glare at Julien, who was still as stone-faced as before.

"Ski'per in tr'wbel?" The tiny voice belonged to Mort, the quiet kid. He looked from Julien to Marlene, who smiled and nodded.

"Yes, Mort." Mort turned back to Julien and tugged at his shirt.

"Help Ski'per?" The man just glared at him, making the kid back away. Mort turned to Marlene and shrugged. "Sowy."

Marlene sighed and looked at Julien. "Julien, I don't really-" The man burst out into laughter, holding onto his tummy. She stared at him, blinking.

"I don't believe it! You fell for it!"

"What?" She was beyond confused, along with the other two adults while Mort was giggling.

A moment later, the boy blinked and looked up at Julien. "W'at ar' we laf'ing foh?" Julien ignored him as he stopped and grinned.

"I was just kidding." He threw his arms to the sides and his grin grew. "Of course I would help my dear friend Skipper!"

"What?!" Kowalski, Marlene and Maurice chorused while Mort poked his foot at a rock.

"But I thought you," Maurice started but Julien held up a hand.

"Oh shush, Maurice. I was just mad that he was doing such a good job. Better than me. So I told the kids to make the tour all boring and stuff."

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Marlene burst out, quite angrily, surprising the whole group, excluding Mort. "I'm going to-" Kowalski pulled Marlene back and narrowed his eyes at Julien.

"You better explain yourself, Jacobs." Julien eyed Marlene for a while before turning back to Kowalski and shrugging casually.

"It was an April's Fools prank."

"APRIL-" Marlene managed to get away from Kowalski, but the man held her back again, with the help of Maurice.

"Yeah." He continued as if it didn't look like Marlene was going to pull his hair out. "And I did another one just now." He chuckled. "You should've seen your faces."

Maurice tapped Julien, who turned to him with a raised brow. "Your majesty, it's not April. I don't think-"

"This is not a joke, Julien!" This time it was Kowalski who blew up, face going red with anger.

"No," his tone became cold again, "it's not." The three stared at him. Mort, like always, was occupied in his own world.

"This better not be another joke, Julien." Kowalski warned but Julien shook his head.

"The superintendent called. And he answered. The fool." He snorted and crossed his arms. "You have to stop him before does another thing fools do."

"Wait," the scientist was suspicious, "how did you know that the superintendent called?"

He gave them a goofy grin. "I have my ways."

Kowalski looked at Marlene. "This could be a joke."

"Yeah," the Madagascan stated grimly, "I'm not joking anymore."

Marlene bit her lip before looking up at Julien. "Did any of the kids, by any chance, call home?" Maurice smiled at her and shook his head.

"No cellphones, Marlene. And I doubt anybody can get pass the guard dogs in our cabin without alerting us."

"So who..."

"I don't know." Julien answered, still in the grim tone. "And I don't like it. This is supposed to be a safe place. Something is wrong and I need Skipper."

"Of course." Marlene nodded. "We'll deal with that later. And thank you."

He grinned at her and patted her arm. "It won't be fun anymore if there isn't any to poke fun at."

Mort clapped happily. "Yay for Kwing Jul'en!" Marlene shook her head at the boy, unable to hold back her smile as she hugged Julien and murmured another 'thank you' before pulling the still surprised Kowalski away.

"Don't forget about the superintendent!" Julien called after the two before turning to Maurice. "Now, Maurice...I believe we have something to do?" The man looked over at the kids.

Maurice frowned and shook his head. "I don't think I know what you're talking about..." Julien chuckled and slapped his friend's back.

"Get your chubby behind to work, Maurice! We must help Skipper!"

"I am not chubby...I'm big boned..."

* * *

><p>Marlene stepped into the clearing, looking about before turning to face Kowalski as he collapsed against a tree, puffing.<p>

"Oh come on," she rolled her eyes at him with hands on her hips, "you slowpoke." Kowalski held up a finger at her.

"One, huh, second." He bent over. "Make that, huh huh, a minute." Marlene rolled her eyes again and was about to retort when a car drove into the clearing and parked. A red headed woman in a khaki pantsuit stepped out of the driver's side with another door opening on the other, as Skipper ran out of the cabin.

"Skipper." Marlene's wide eyes turned from the redhead and back to her friend as he stared back at her. "Please tell me..." She trailed off when he gave her a weak smile. "No. Skipper." She reached a hand for him, but he turned away and faced the redhead, and her female companion. She was a red head too, dressed in the same uniform as Skipper and Kowalski, but her over-the-top smile was starting to get to Marlene, who was ready to smack it off her face.

"Skipper McGrath?" The first red head called sternly, eyes on the man before him. Skipper nodded and held out his hand.

"Miss Alice Scheer. A pleasure to see you again, ma'am." The woman eyed his hand carefully before staring at Skipper. He swallowed nervously and dropped his hand. "I-"

"Let's get to business, shall we?" The woman turned to the female on her left. "This is Frances Alberta. She'll be handling the station from now on."

"No!" Skipper's eyes grew wide and he placed a hand on Marlene, but she shrugged him off. "Absolutely not. Skipper, you can't do this." She turned to Alice as he opened his mouth. "You're not firing him."

"It's protocol. If he can't do his job, he has to go." The woman responded in a dry tone, clearly not amused.

Frances nodded solemnly, albeit a bit too cheerfully. "It's in one of the rules, lady. You can't just go against the law, right?"

Marlene glared at the woman and poked a finger in her direction. "Well, _lady, _you can shove your rules back up your," Skipper pulled the lady back and clamped a hand over her mouth before she could finish her sentence. When he was sure she was calm, he dropped his hand.

"Marlene, I really appreciate what you're doing, but-"

"No, Skipper." She shook her head. "You're not leaving."

"Marlene-"

"Listen to me, Skipper! You can't just leave!"

"Marlene, I-"

"This is your home! You can't just give it up!"

"Marlene," he was starting to get irritated, and so was Kowalski, who placed a hand over the brunette's mouth this time.

Kowalski rolled his eyes and gestured a hand about. "Can we just get to the point about why, Marlene?" The woman shrugged and nodded. Kowalski nodded back, dropped his hand and turned to Skipper calmly.

"What our dear friend Marlene is trying to say is that you still have a job to do, regardless of your lack of job status." Skipper's brows furrowed in confusion.

"What do you mean, Kowalski?"

Kowalski opened his mouth to answer, but Marlene beat him to it. "You found an endangered species!" She threw her arms around him. "Which means that you _have_ to stay and take care of the animal because _you _found it! Congratulations, Skipper!"

"The snake?" Skipper asked incredulously, turning to Kowalski as he hugged Marlene back.

The man nodded with a grin. "Eastern hog-nosed snake, or Heterodon platirhinos. It is a species endemic only to North America, and its status is threatened. Which means it's on the brink of being endangered." He spotted Alice pulling out a little book from inside her jacket. "Right, Miss Scheer?" The woman didn't look up from the book and continued flipping a few pages before landing on one and reading its contents. She raised her head and nodded grimly.

"Yes, it is. And if that's the case, I suppose-"

"YES!" Marlene threw her hands in the air before covering them over her mouth when Alice glared at her.

"If that's the case," the woman continued, eyeing Marlene warily, "I suppose that you might keep your job. But I'll need proof."

"Yes, ma'am." He gestured to the cabin. "I have him in a glass enclosure inside."

Once inside though, Skipper stopped short at the sight of the empty dog bed._  
><em>

"What happened to the deer?"

"Deer?" Alice repeated. "I wasn't aware of a deer. When did you get this deer?"

"Just hours ago! It was right here! It got caught in a bear trap, and I had to bandage its foot...It couldn't have just healed itself and walked away! It could hardly walk!"

"Skipper," Kowalski whispered to the man, "there are no deer around here."

"But I just saved one! Don't tell me I didn't just see and hold one, Kowalski. I'm not blind."

"Not that. There are no deer in the forest, Skipper...We don't have deer."

Realization came across him and he slapped the side of his head. "How did I not notice that?" He shook the thought away. "No, we can discuss that later." He looked at the others. "I'm serious. There was a deer right here." He pointed to the dog bed. "One female, right here."

Alice shook her head and murmured under her breath. "I believe we can understand how he lost his job."

"Look!" The man picked up the bottle he left on the table and gestured to it. "This was the bottle I used to feed it."

Marlene and Kowalski looked at each other, dread showing on their faces as Alice crossed her arms and looked at Skipper sternly.

"Mr. McGrath, there is no sign of this _so-called_ deer of yours."

"No." He shook his head, completely at lost with what to do. "This isn't right."

"How right you are."

"You have to believe me. I swear, there was deer right here. Red brown fur. Smaller than a white-tailed deer."

"I'll believe it when I see it, Mr. McGrath." The woman stared at the frustrated man, who was ready to throw something out the window. "I'm afraid-"

"H'ld it!" A voice cried out, surprising everyone in the room as they turned to the man who had spoken. The scar on his face told all who he was as he held up a piece of black cloth and a small object. Rico didn't have to say anything as Skipper took the items and examined them.

"This is a tranquilizer." He held the object up, frowning at it. "It's nothing like what we have..." He turned to Rico as his fingers played with the fabric of the cloth. "What's this?"

"Jacket." He simply said, hands in his pockets. "Outside."

Skipper stopped and stared at the cloth. "You found this outside?" Rico nodded. "A black jacket, and a tranquilizer. Both of which none of us, or anyone we know, owns, right?" Rico shook his head before marching over to a window.

The blinds were closed, as Skipper had left them, but he was surprised when Rico opened the blinds. The window was open, which he was sure that he had closed and latched, but he was wrong again as Rico pulled the window down and attempted to close the window. It wouldn't close since the latch was broken. "Forced entry..." Skipper muttered under his breath, but everyone could hear. "Somebody stole those animals. But why?" Rico shook his head and shrugged, not knowing the answer.

"You have one day."

Skipper raised his head to Alice. "What?"

The woman frowned at him, arms crossed. "You have one day to get this over with. Get that snake back, and the deer, in one piece. If you don't, I'll call in the state authorities to solve this mystery and you will say goodbye to this place. Do you hear me, McGrath?"

Kowalski and Rico high-fived each other, and Marlene squealed in joy and hugged Skipper from the side as a grin appeared on his face. "Thank you, ma'am."

"But," Frances started in a voice quite similar to a whine but it was silenced when Alice glared at her. She turned her attention back to Skipper, her face impassive.

"I'll be back by tomorrow. Do not disappoint me, McGrath." She turned and walked away, followed by a mumbling Frances.

"No, ma'am." He called after the two. "Alright men, oof," he rubbed his side and stepped away from the frowning Marlene, "and lady." When a soft smile appeared on the brunette, he continued. "We have work to do."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Aha! Third Installment! The ending is actually coming soon though...<strong>_


	4. Chapter 4

**Fell That Tree**

* * *

><p>"Private!" Hunter grunted and frowned at the boulder before her.<p>

A mop of black hair and baby blue eyes peeked from the top. "What?"

"I can't climb up. This boulder is impossible. How did you even get up there?"

He merely grinned down at her. "Do you want my help now?"

Hunter rolled her eyes and held both hands up. "Please?" Private smiled and reached down to grab her hand before helping her up.

"You're welcome."

"Whatever." She mumbled as she settled down beside him, dangling her legs over the edge. "What's so cool about this place anyway?"

"Nothing really. I just like hanging around here." A reminiscent look passed his face and Hunter watched him with a raised brow.

"And?" She pressed with a smile and gently nudged him. "What are you not telling me?"

Private sighed and stared ahead, leaning on his hands. "Skipper and I used to come here." He nodded forward and looked at his friend. "When we were younger."

"How about now?"

"He has been busy. But I don't mind. We still get to hang out, even if it's not like back then." The boy simply said, sending a soothing yet uncomfortable silence to land between them. Hunter swung her feet back and forth, humming for a while, before she sighed and placed a hand on Private's shoulder.

"We should probably get back." She got to her feet and held out a hand to him. He took it and got to his feet. "They're probably looking for us." Private giggled and Hunter lightly shoved him. "What?"

"You said 'probably' twice. Miss Know-It-All lacking words?" He teased with a grin and poked her.

She rolled her eyes playfully and shoved him again. "Whatever. Whee!" She jumped down from the boulder," oof!", wiped her hands and got up as Private landed beside her on his feet. She frowned at him. "Show-off."

He shrugged and walked off, stopping only to find a pine cone. "Found a pine cone." The girl ran up to him, grabbed the pine cone and examined it.

"Cool..." She turned to him with a grin and tossed the pine cone up and down. "I say, the first person who reaches the camp AND gets the most pine cones, wins." Private grinned, grabbed the pine cone and ran off.

"You're on!"

"Private! No fair!"

* * *

><p>Skipper paced before the board the group had set up. The evidences were pinned to it, with drawings, notes and pictures included.<p>

"What do we have so far, Kowalski?"

The man didn't move from his position in front of the board, adding notes to the clipboard in hand. "A man in a black leather jacket approximately broke into the station less than an hour ago, stole the Key deer and the snub-nosed snake and dashed off. It's a theory, but I don't think _one_ guy could have run off with a deer AND the snake."

"So, he had an accomplice?"

"Precisely. Maybe a couple, maybe more. We don't know." Skipper paused as Marlene got up and frowned at Kowalski.

"But Rico found footprints outside."

"Oh right." The scientist looked up at the board before him and plucked a picture off it. "Three, no, two pairs of boots. Hiking boots." Skipper walked up to him and studied the picture himself. "These people came prepared."

"For what?"

Kowalski sighed and let his hands hang by his side as he faced the man. "For once, I don't know."

Skipper shook his head and slapped the picture on the other's chest. "You will know." He patted him. "You're Kowalski. You've got a PhD in what? Botany?"

"Chemical Ecology..." He spoke in a dreary tone.

Skipper waved him away. "Same thing."

"Not really..."

"The thing is, you can do this."

Kowalski sighed and raised the clipboard, murmuring under his breath. "But can you?" Skipper paused in mid turn and turned back to Kowalski with a raised brow.

"What was that, Kowalski?" The scientist was already back to the board, frowning at a certain piece of evidence and its picture.

"The bullet just doesn't match up."

"No," Skipper frowned but he dismissed the earlier statement and turned to the bullet too, "it doesn't. What would a gun holding, jacket wearing man do with a Key deer and a snake?"

"Wait," Kowalski blinked and stared at Skipper in shock, "did you just say Key deer?"

* * *

><p>"...I was so first." Hunter stood her ground with a pout on her face and arms crossed.<p>

Private shook his head. "No way. I was first."

"_I_," Hunter punctuated the word as she jumped before Private, smirking at the height difference that allowed her to look down on him, "was first."

"It was me, Hunter."

"I touched the tree first!"

"No, I did."

"Nuh-uh! I did."

"No, I did."

"No," a twig snapped somewhere near them and the two's eyes widened.

"Did you hear that?" Private whispered to Hunter, who frowned.

"Why are you whispering?"

"Why are you whispering?" Private shook his head and covered her mouth. "Enough." Hunter rolled her eyes as if to say, '_you started this_'. "I think it came from over there." The boy dropped his hand and crouched forward. Hunter rolled her eyes again before following him, leaving their discarded pine cone pile.

They had been walking for a while though it felt like hours to Hunter due to the extremely slow pace they were at. The girl was about to tap Private and ask him something when he pulled her down and covered her mouth again to prevent the squeak of surprise coming out of her mouth. He placed a finger from the other hand over his mouth and pointed around the tree they were hiding behind. Hunter furrowed her brows at the gesture, but froze when a chilling and unfamiliar voice spoke.

"Surround the place." The unmistakable sound of a gun being reloaded echoed. "Make sure to the screams to a minimum. We don't need _them_, to know what we're doing here."

"What are we doing again, boss?" Another voice asked, along with one more.

"Yeah, and what will you do, boss?"

"How many times do I have to go over this?" The first voice sighed as the two kids looked at each other. "You're supposed to keep the kids in the cage, along with the other counselors and owners, or whoever decides to be at a lousy, dumb camp. I'll go have a meeting with that Jacobs guy."

"Hunter, this is bad. We," Private started and turned back to Hunter, "Hunter? Where did you,"

"It's not a lousy, dumb camp!" Private's jaw dropped in horror when he realized where the voice was coming from. "It's a camp made for the rights of kids and the wildlife that resides here! This is place of recreation and or paradise! It's not lousy, and it's not dumb, you dummy!"

"Hunter!" Private glared at the girl as he got to his feet. "What are you doing?"

"They just called the camp lousy! I'm going to show you lousy, mister." The girl raised a fist threateningly and marched forward. Private pulled her back just as one of the three men pointed at them and smacked the heads of the ones beside him.

"Don't just stand there, you fools! Get them!"

The two looked at each other before running off.

* * *

><p>"...you can't be serious." Skipper stared at Kowalski, completely deadpanned. "<em>Another<em>, endangered species?"

"Skipper," Kowalski chuckled, "you're like a magnet for miracles! Not that miracles are real, nor is luck, it's just-"

Skipper shook his head and crossed his arms. "I just found another endangered species? And it's now in the hands of a possibly dangerous group of criminals who might want me out of the game?" The excitement from earlier on died. "This is not a miracle. I'm a walking disaster. What else is going to go wrong?" Marlene lightly thwacked the back of his head and frowned at him.

"Don't be so pessimistic, Skippy. You'll get those animals back. You just have to believe in yourself."

"You sound like Private." He sighed and shook his head again. "And where would I find those animals, Marlene? We don't even know why this is happening or who is doing this. It's hopeless!"

"Stop being so negative, Skipper! Can't you see what you've done?"

"What I've done is brought utter shame to my dad!" He sighed when he saw the surprised look on Marlene's face and looked down. "I'm a disgrace to the family...I promised that I would keep this on, but the place is falling apart. And it's all my fault...I never should've," he sighed deeply, "never should've promised something I couldn't keep."

"Just have faith, Skipper." She softly told him, a hand placed on the side of his face gently. "I'll be back later with Private. I hope you can figure something out by then." She hesitated for a bit before leaning in to kiss his cheek. She quickly backed away with her head down and murmured a 'Good luck' before walking out the door.

Skipper blinked after her with a hand lingering on his reddening cheek. The clearing of a throat brought his attention to the other two occupants of the room, both of which were staring at him.

"Um..." He pulled at his collar and licked his lips, not meeting their eyes. "I believe, we," the man struggled to find words.

"Need to investigate further?" Kowalski supplied and Skipper nodded awkwardly.

"Rico," he grabbed his hat and placed it on his head, "lead the way. Where did you find those prints?"

Rico raised a brow at him, looked at Kowalski who was trying his best not to smirk, and shrugged before doing as he was told.

* * *

><p>"This is bad!" Hunter shouted over to Private as the two ran from the men. "Very bad!"<p>

"Nobody asked you to go all 'don't mess with me'!" He shouted back and ducked under a log as Hunter jumped over it.

"Nobody asked your opinion either, smart guy!"

"Hey," the two rushed past Marlene, "guys? Guys, where are you going in such a rush?"

"No time, Marlene! We're being chased by bad guys!" Hunter called over her shoulder before stopping short. Private did the same as the two looked back. Marlene stared back at them wide eyed, with one man keeping her hands behind her back while the other covered her mouth. "Whale blubber!" Hunter stomped a foot and frowned. "This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Well," the man covering Marlene's mouth sneered at her, "it just did. Now, be good little kiddos and, yeow!" He shook his hand as Marlene snorted and snapped her teeth at him.

"You should clean your hands. And get yours off me!" She squashed the foot of the one holding her and elbowed him when he let go of her. She made her way to the two kids, keeping them behind her. "You people have got to be out of your minds to do this to us." The two men got up and glared at her.

"You're so dead, Missy." He reached for something in his jacket, but a pine cone hit his hand. "Hey!" Another fell on his head.

Hunter threw another pine cone and then another. "Nobody talks to Marlene like that! Take that!" Private and Marlene looked at each other before grabbing a handful of the pine cones the two had left behind and started throwing them. "And that!" The men's cries of pain and the small objects rained upon them. They started backing away, before taking off into a run. "Oh yeah!" Hunter threw down the pine cone in hand. "The pine cones win! High five, guys!" She held up both hands to her friends, but they were already talking to each other.

"Who are those people?"

"Marlene," Private looked about nervously, "those men are planning to take over the camp."

"What?"

Hunter, forgetting their lack of participation in her celebratory 'party', nodded.

"Yep. We need to stop them. We need Skipper." Marlene crossed her arms and frowned at the girl.

"Now you like him? Just a few hours ago, you told him he was awful."

"I didn't say I didn't like him or that he was awful. I just said he _could_ lose his job." The girl paused and tapped her lip. "Now that I think of it, it does kinda sound negative."

Marlene rolled her eyes, grabbed her hand and started pulling her away. "Let's go. We," the trio stopped as they met with the sight of Skipper, Kowalski and Rico, staring back at them.

"Skipper." The bravado Marlene had almost fell away, but she held it up as her fingers dug into the shoulders of the kids before her.

"Marlene, are you alright?" Skipper frowned at her for a while and she gave him a weak smile, unable to form the words to inform him of recent events.

"We just got hustled by a couple of gunmen." Hunter stated quietly as she stared at her sneakers.

"What?" Skipper's eyes went over them quickly, scanning for any sign of harm.

"Well," Hunter mused, "I think they had guns. I didn't see any."

"I did." All eyes turned to Private, who played with the hem of his shirt before looking up. "The third guy was holding one. I think he's the leader." Kowalski stepped forward and whipped out a Zip lock bag, containing the golden piece of metal.

"They wouldn't happen to have been fitted with this, would they?"

"Actually..." The boy frowned as he observed the object in the bag. "Wait, where did you get this? I thought guns weren't allowed here?"

"Answer the question, Private."

Private nodded and the grim look returned to Skipper's face.

"What are they doing here?" The man asked and Hunter huffed.

"I think the question should be, 'what are you doing here?'. Shouldn't we be going after the bad guys? Like, right now?"

Rico shook his head and crossed his arms. "No 'we'. Tu dang'ru."

"What are you talking about? There is no way I'm waiting around for a bunch of fools to take over my camp!" She stood on a conveniently placed flat rock before him and poked him in the chest. "And you're not going to stop me." Rico raised a brow, looked over at Skipper who seemed to be thinking over something before nodding and glancing at Marlene. "Hey!" Hunter protested when Rico hoisted Hunter over one shoulder then made his way to Marlene. "Agh...I so hate this..."

The lady shook her head and backed away. "Whoa there, cowboy. I can totally-eek! Rico," Marlene slammed her fists into Rico's back, "put me down! Put me down!"

He turned to Skipper, who nodded in the direction they came from. "Bring them back. Then go follow those tracks while we deal with this. As for you," he turned to Private, who gulped, "I think you know what I'm going to say."

"Yes sir." The boy nodded and followed Rico. Hunter huffed again and glared at her friend.

"Coward."

* * *

><p><em><strong>I am serious about the ending of this. Should be in the next chapter.<strong>_

_**XD Funny thing, I had a complete different idea for this...but it came out like this. I think I'll just do another story with that idea. ;)**_


End file.
